Mercedes CLS63 Scrapped To Make Way For AMG GT Super Sedan

Time to say goodbye to the top-of-the-line CLS63 and hello to a new AMG 53 lineup.

After confirming that the upcoming Mercedes-AMG CLS53 will be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January, AMG boss Tobias Moers has revealed new details about the new CLS53 variant. Speaking to Automotive News, Moers confirmed that the CLS53 will go on sale in the US before the end of 2018, kicking off a new range of 53-badged hybrid performance AMG models. The car will be powered by an electric motor and a turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine with a “higher output than the 43s” that's "somewhere in the “400s.”

Automotive News is claiming it will have an output of 430 hp, however. To make room for the new 53 performance lineup, Moers told the publication that the top-of-the-line AMG CLS63 is being scrapped to give the four-door AMG GT, rumored to be called the GT4, some room to breathe. Based on the Mercedes-AMG GT Concept that debuted at the Geneva Auto Show this year, the four-door AMG GT will go on sale in the US in 2019. More details about the CLS53 will be announced at Detroit next month. All AMG 53 models will be powered by a new 3.0-liter turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine paired with a 48-volt electrical system.

While we’re mourning the loss of the AMG CLS63, Moers went on to say that the company could offer AMG variants of the E-class coupe in the future as 53 models, which could also arrive in 2019. The redesigned GLE mid-sized crossover is also likely to receive the 53 treatment after the standard model launches in early 2019.